Proposal for senior living facility withdrawn

Downers Grove council opposed the project

A developer has applied to build a five-story living facility for seniors at 5100 Forest Ave., the site of a vacant bank. (Dawn Rhodes, Chicago Tribune)

A proposal for a supportive living facility for seniors in downtown Downers Grove was withdrawn Thursday night after council members overwhelmingly opposed the project.

During a contentious meeting on Nov. 13, Mayor Martin T. Tully and the commissioners indicated they would not vote to green light the five-story building at 5100 Forest Ave. because the zoning ordinance prohibits supportive living facilities and senior housing developments in that location. Officials also said the proposed building does not comply with the village's comprehensive plan, which was adopted last year.

Specifically, several officials said the building would pack too many units into the space and would not offer enough parking spaces. Further, the comprehensive plan pinpoints the location — one block west of the highly commercial Main Street and the Metra station — as a prime area that could be used to bolster the downtown economy. Officials contended that senior housing would pull commercial activity away from downtown rather than toward it.

"There is a need for something like this in the community, but we just don't have the authority to do it," Tully said, adding that he was reluctant to "shoehorn a facility into a location where it just won't fit."

The 120-room facility would have been located at the 1.1-acre site of a vacant bank building on the corner of Forest and Gilbert avenues, across from the public library , according to the proposal.

A supportive living facility is designed to provide independent living for seniors who require some assistance but do not necessarily need a nursing home. The Supportive Living Program is regulated by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

There are currently 138 operational supportive living facilities in 73 counties throughout the state, according to the state Healthcare and Family Services website. Three are located in DuPage County, in Naperville, West Chicago and Bloomingdale.

Those supporting the development argued that the facility would not be in the village's zoning ordinance simply because they are a relatively new concept. They also said village officials had the authority to revise the law and that they were not legally bound by the comprehensive plan.

"Everything we're proposing has been done before," Michael Fiandaca, president of the company which owns the building, told the council. "If you really want this here, it can get done."

"That's a very micro view of the world," Tully said after the meeting. "We can change any law, any ordinance. But we'd basically be changing the zoning map just for this one project. It's not consistent with the vision of the future land use map and the comprehensive plan."

Attorney Thomas Sisul told the council he and his colleagues felt blindsided by the staff recommendation and that they were led to believe that staff supported the project up until a few days ago.

"We've worked with staff for two years on this project," Sisul said. "And they didn't tell us at the time that they didn't think this fit into the zoning? If staff said in July that the first thing we need to do is check the comprehensive plan, we wouldn't be here today."

Village manager David Fieldman countered that he informed the developer during a pre-application meeting in August that the village was concerned about zoning issues, but the application nevertheless ran afoul of the ordinance.

"It's unfortunate because we pride ourselves in the Village of Downers Grove on outstanding customer service, and we believe in the no-surprise concept," Fieldman said. "To that end, we try to provide clear direction in regard to village codes, and we attempted to get on the same page with the developer."

"Why there?" Tully said. "There's a bunch of other places in the village where this could be without us doing this mental gymnastics. They chose the site, not us."

Several community members spoke in support of the project, arguing that it is a necessary asset for the town's aging population.

"This facility can be a transitional and a cost-effective choice for those who don't need a nursing home," said resident Kerry Quirin. "SLF's do not fail. Unlike a lot of other buildings in the area, this will not have a 'for lease' sign on it in one to two years. The need is just too great."

Village spokesman Doug Kozlowski said Friday the developer and village officials are discussing possibilities for a different location but nothing has been finalized.